Netflix’s favorite father-son comedies, unstableis back with a new season! Created by John Owen Lowe, Rob Lowe and Victor Fresco, the series follows eccentric biotech genius and billionaire Eris Dragon (Rob Lowe), who finds himself struggling to function after the death of his beloved wife. His CFO and friend Anna (FleabagSian Clifford lures her cold but intelligent son Jackson (John Owen Lowe) back to the West Coast to work for his father’s company and repairs her marriage.
In season two, Jackson struggles to find his place and his voice in his father’s world. Jackson changes his appearance and takes on the charismatic Peter (New WomanAccording to John Owen, Jackson’s longer hair and earrings “had a few different inspirations. We wanted to show that Jackson was in a different frame of mind.” His father, Rob, said Jackson’s new look was a reflection of his signature look. St. Elmo’s Fire Characters. “Low with the long hair and earrings? I wonder where he is,” Rob said with a grin.
In addition to the intense tennis match that John Owen enjoyed, father and son explore their characters’ alternate personalities – fake real estate agents Ron Tabasco and Jason Dargon. It’s one of their favorite episodes of the series. “It was an instant classic,” enthused Rob. John Owen agreed, adding, “It was fun to play a version of myself that was personally and selfishly exaggerated and a little heated towards Mr. Tabasco.”
DECIDER had the chance to speak briefly with the Laws about Jackson’s earrings, John Owen’s dominance on the tennis court, and why their show is one of “the few shows that are truly comedic” currently on TV.
Decider: John Owen, I want to talk about Jackson’s new look in Season 2. I noticed his hair is longer and he’s wearing earrings. I’m obsessed!
Rob Lowe: I just want to say… the long hair, the earrings, he St. Elmo’s Fire.
John Owen Lowe: You really are…
RL: You mean Rowe with the long hair and earrings? I wonder where… sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude!
John Owen, how did you unfold Jackson’s physical transformation in season 2?
JOL: Well, I think you heard some of that. [laughs]There were a few inspirations. [To Rob] It seems like I hear a new word every day. Someone told me I sound like the lead singer of which band…?
RL: Recently, Lover Boy. When you have the headband on.
JOL: George Michael, too. People often say I copied him. [gestures to Rob] His facial expression St. Elmo’s FireI have never seen the movie so it can’t be true. [laughs]Thank you for noticing. I wanted to do something different and show that Jackson is in a different frame of mind. Also, selfishly speaking, I just changed my look a little bit.
it is a good feeling!
JOL: Anecdotally, my mom called me yesterday and said… [To Rob] Did you know this?
RL: No.
JOL: She called me and said, “I think you should take your earrings out tomorrow for the press,” and I was like, “What? Why?”
RL: [Laughs] What on earth was she…?
JOL: So, if anyone is worried that I’m being too dependent on my parents… things are going very well here.
Okay, so you two do a lot of wild stuff together in Season 2. Which was more fun: playing tennis with each other or role-playing at a real estate convention?
JOL: For me it’s always tennis. Anything I can beat him at, which is pretty much anything now actually. For me it’s very cathartic.
RL: Yeah, he’s excited about the fact that a 28-year-old guy in the prime of his life can physically beat a 60-year-old guy. He’s embraced it and he’s running with it. [laughs]A win is a win, and that’s one of the things I love about the show is that when we’re pitted against each other as real estate agents, we play versions of each other in alternate universes.
Ron Tabasco may be one of the greatest fake personas in recent pop culture history. Can you talk about the origins of this character?
RL: When Johnny, Andrew Garland and the whole writing team pitched me the idea of Ellis being a fake real estate agent, I said, “Excuse me, what would you do?” And Johnny said, “Yes, he’s going to be Ron Tabasco.” And I thought, “Oh, Ron Tabasco just got me.” Any time I could play a character named Ron Tabasco, I’d be in.
JOL: That’s a spicy name.
RL: It’s an evocative name. It’s sure to become a classic in no time. What do you think?
JOL: This was hands down my favorite script in the writers’ room, by Ron Tabasco and the unforgettable Jason Dargon.
RL: Jason D’Argon. Worst name ever.
It was fun watching Jason Dargon beat Ron Tabasco.
JOL: It was fun. Personally and selfishly, it was fun to play a version of myself that was exaggerated and a little heated towards Mr. Tabasco.
RL: To me, that episode is the heart of this season. This show is silly, absurd, subversive, and hopefully clever. There are very few shows on TV right now that can truly be called comedies. The “Rob Tabasco” episode is a great example of what our show is about.
Total 8 episodes unstable It’s currently streaming on Netflix.
